Sunsh Stein

Sunsh’s Contributions

December 2000 Albums

The opening notes of "St. Thomas/ Domingo Run," announce the timeless yet timely treat that lies ahead on Afrocubano Chant Two. This eclectic band of all-stars seamlessly blends traditional and modern Latin music and jazz. There's so much going on here...

September 2000 Albums

Pianist Joseph Diamond has jazz chops. He's got his Latin chops down, too, and he uses a lineup of Latin players, including drummer Vince Cherico, bassist Leo Traversa and several percussionists on this recording of original compositions. The tunes range...

September 2000 Albums

Saxophonist Joey Berkley's got it made. With a rhythm section of pianist Darrell Grant, drummer Carl Allen and bassist Joris Teepe he can't go wrong on Made in NYC. They bring a tight rhythmic structure that knows how to ebb, flow and get frenetic. Berkley...

September 2000 Albums

While pianist Bill Mays and drummer Matt Wilson display a propensity towards wildness, bassist-leader Martin Wind can be counted on to add his own whimsy and to provide an anchor amid his bandmates' storm. For this recording, the trio is joined by tenorman...

July/August 2000 Albums

Making musical magic is a gift that doesn't come easily nor does it happen often enough. That makes bassist Buster Williams a lucky man. In the mid- to late 1970s he was part of the Ron Carter quartet, a group whose members were so obviously in synch with...

May 2000 Albums

The liner photos on Up! show guitarist Christian Eckert looking determined and in deep concentration; his bassist Johannes Schaedlich looks beatific. The first tune, "Spinning Around," starts with the two of them sounding just the opposite of how they look...

May 2000 Briefs

The chronic problem with recorded bass is that it's often hard to hear, and bassist Bob Stata does himself a disservice playing it low key to his bandmates. You need to turn up to hear him on this set of tunes composed by him and Justin Flynn and David Gibson...

January/February 2000 Albums

A pretty bass, a pretty face, and a pretty voice would not be used to describe bassists Slam Stewart with his one-octave-above vocalizing, or Major Holley with his deep growls, or even Jay Leonhart delighting with his witty tunes. But some guys just have...

January/February 2000 Albums

Group 15 twists and bends Monk to fit the fifteen strings of its three finely tuned instruments. Leonhart, guitarist Peter Bernstein and violinist Tom Aalfs stumbled into Monk together at a Museum of Modern Art gig and knew they'd hit on something worth...

January/February 2000 Albums

Feeling very much at home in a swing setting, Jay Leonhart takes on Harold Arlen, making Arlen's hits zip to new life on Sensitive to the Touch. From the clarinet, bass, drum opening of "Ding Dong the Wicked Witch Is Dead" to the sax, bass, vocalizing of...

January/February 2000 Albums

On Great Duets Leonhart gets cozy with some old and new pals like Bill Charlap whipping along on "Confirmation," Gene Bertoncini gliding in and out of Leonhart's lead-in to "Stella by Starlight," and Mike LeDonne waltzing through "My Romance." Leonhart's...

November 1999 Briefs

Big band veteran (Woody Herman and Buddy Rich) Chuck Bergeron brings his bass and his compositions to a series of smaller settings here. Absorbing the big band sound then using it as a springboard, Bergeron has inventively mixed trumpet, tenor and bass clarinet...

October 1999 Briefs

David Sills, a young California tenorman, has put together a most pleasing lineup of tunes and performers for this date. Successfully making the transition from classical sax to absorbing the lessons of jazz masters, Sills creates a smooth sound that displays...